BRC must vacate Sonoma County facility after 38 years of service

After a 38-year stay, The Bird Rescue Center (BRC) must vacate the County facility and land that we’ve called home. Sonoma County is selling what is called the Chanate Campus, the area surrounding the old Sutter Hospital on Chanate Drive, to a developer who will be building houses in the area we currently occupy.

After the 2017 wildfires, we know Sonoma County desperately needs the housing, but now we are in need of a new home, too!

For 42 years (since 1976), BRC has served the City of Santa Rosa, Sonoma County and much of the North Bay region – providing wild bird rescue and rehabilitation services at no cost, all the while existing largely on memberships and donations.

Every year, we treat approximately 3,000 native wild birds. And our unique education programs inspire over 6,000 children and adults, teaching them about the importance of these birds to our environment.

We are committed to our mission. Can you help?

As we search for a new location, we are finding the costs for renting, buying, and building have skyrocketed.We have developed a new site plan and are actively sourcing all possibilities for our new home.

Treating the thousands of birds we admit each year, as well as caring for our 18 resident raptor ambassadors — entails some unique land and facility requirements:

Approximately 2 acres of buildable land (preferably with utilities onsite)

6,000 square feet of space in one or more buildings if possible

Easy access to Highway 101 corridor

Preferably a central location within Sonoma County

A secure, relatively quiet area, as noise can have a harmful effect on rehabilitating birds

We know this will be a costly venture, but our dedication has never been stronger.

As we struggle just to get through a near-record Baby Bird Season, we are also grappling with this enormous task before us.And given the environment’s ongoing recovery from last Fall’s fires, this generation of baby birds is more important than ever!

Are you in? We need you!

Your past support has provided crucial care for native wild birds in the North Bay region for 42 years. Healthy bird populations are critical to maintaining environmental balance — our best natural defense against rodents, mosquitoes, and other pests.

Think about that for a moment, then please help us find our new home so we can keep going for future generations of birds, and the people who love them!